I Am So Sick of Grammar Packets

Part of 4th grade’s curriculum at my school are grammar packets, or some sort of grammar lesson every week to ensure that students know the difference between verbs, nouns, adjectives and so forth. The idea of wrapping the lesson in a packet format meant less time needed to teach; all I had to do was introduce the various exercises and then assign the homework. Students would get a week to finish and then we moved on to the next topic. At the end of the year, after several eye rolls and disheartened moans from students when they realized it was time for grammar, lightning struck. Of course they hate grammar packets – I do too.

You see, packets can be fine when we need something to grade. However, if I am looking for a true learning experience, I cannot just assign something and then leave the students to their own devices. Learning must be shared, not handed out with a deadline. One student actually loved the packet; it was manageable, she knew that if she spelled everything correctly she would receive a good grade and most of the stuff she remembered from years prior. Some students saw them as a dreaded chore that they lumbered through and were happy with the grade they got. And then there were the kids that really needed to learn the grammar. Those kids lost the packet, would not realize they had lost it until the night before and would therefore hand in a half-finished product sometimes with pages missing, usually with the wrong answers because they had not understood the directions and had had no one to turn to for help. Those kids, the ones that really needed to learn, were not being given any favors by me or the packet.

Another aspect of the packet was the sheer number of points that I assigned to them; after all if a students was going to slave away over 5 pages of work then the points needed to be a reflection of that. Again, great for the students who had no problems with the topic or had help at home. Detrimental for the not so fortunate students. We don’t give a separate grammar grade in 4th grade, we lump it under writing. And yes, understanding and using correct grammar is a vital step to being an accomplished writer, but the point value was so high that the packets counted toward a bigger piece of their grade than their actual writing. One student who was a very creative writer and used verbs and nouns correctly, could not identify them in a packet, even with help. But his ears told him how a sentence should sound so how do you grade that?

So under the constraints of having to teach grammar, I started to ponder, then how? We have a grammar book available which is kind of like the packet, except in a book form. So I knew that the book would not be my solution. The book does offer one thing though which is what the topics are that need to be taught, so that’s a help. A solution came form an article I read, which I regretfully did not bookmark, in which the teacher described handing digital cameras to her students and having them search for nouns, verbs etc throughout the school. Now that is hands-on-learning. While not every grammar topic lends itself to the digital image – difference between an action verb and a helping verb as an example- this represents a start for me. A new idea where students are assigned a quest and they have to represent their answer somehow to their fellow students. I set up the learning, we discuss it and then with scaffolding, off they go. I only have my own digital camera but I am hoping to write grants for more or to come up with other methods for teaching the fundamentals of writing. Using Wordia and Voki keeps popping into my thoughts as well. Anyone out there with other thoughts or ideas? I refuse to believe I am the only one trying to escape packets.

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4 thoughts on “I Am So Sick of Grammar Packets”

I am 100% with you on your lament over grammar packets/booklets! Our county has the same requirements with the accompanying scope and sequence (even a grammar section on the required quarterly assessments). One thing I am going to try this year (after reading lots of research on how it is not beneficial to teach grammar through individual elements) is to use the popular computer game, Myst. Having read the way Tim Rylands and Mark Warner successfully use this immersive game to teach grammar embedded in writing, I am excited for this year! I am looping with my 4th graders up to 5th. Here is a link to my Diigo bookmarks about using Myst in the classroom (I'm sure there are many others!). http://www.diigo.com/user/kcollazo/mystThanks for your great post!

Thanks Kim for sharing your resources. I am looking forward to exploring Myst and hope you will continue to let me know how it goes. There has to be a better way out there than pounding them with packets!

I came across this post from a link in one of your more recent posts and couldn't agree more. I think the question of: if this task was given to me, would I be motivated to do it? Needs to be asked by teachers a lot more. I know I've fallen into the dull and boring category numerous times. Here's a link (http://bit.ly/cQJepU) to an article in The Telegraph (UK paper) following a tv series about teaching 'the unteachables.' The part at the bottom relates to grammar use – I have used the adverb idea before and had a lot of fun with it (I've varied it a bit to keep it interesting). My biggest love is the punctuation kung fu which isn't technically what you were after but it's another area that kids find boring and this makes it loads of fun.

[…] are bored. I faced up to the fact that I hated some of the things I taught and how I taught them (goodbye grammar packets). Something had to change. Now my students joke about how I almost always introduce something new […]

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Of course these opinions, musings, rants and reflections do not express the opinion of my employer. One would be crazy to think that one single teacher could be the mouth piece for an entire district. Nor are my posts meant to offend mostly, nor mislead but rather provide a snapshot of my mind at a certain point in time on a topic.
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about.me

7th Grade Teacher

I am a passionate former 4th and 5th, now 7th grade teacher in Oregon, Wisconsin, USA, proud techy geek, and honest to a fault. Mother of 4 incredible children and married to my soul mate. Creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, a global literacy inititive that has connected more than 500,000 students in the past 5 years. Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI, and believer in all children. I have no awards or accolades except for the lightbulbs that go off in my students' heads every day. I muse on education on my blog “Blogging Through the Fourth Dimension.” Follow me on Twitter @PernilleRipp.

I get to travel the country to teach others how to empower their students and staff, how to give students a voice, and how to ignite a passion for reading. If you are interested in having me speak at your conference please feel free to contact me at psripp@gmail.com